


My My My!

by hollyjolly_yeontan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Kissing, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kissing It Better, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-War, Recovery, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, shy boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-16 06:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16948902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyjolly_yeontan/pseuds/hollyjolly_yeontan
Summary: When lines begin to blur between platonic love and love.





	My My My!

**Author's Note:**

> *Ratings will change!*
> 
> Also, please know that this is how I perceive the characters (mainly Harry), based on the books and partially the movies. It may not match up to how you see them. Just know that this is how _I_ see them. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!!

Quiet. 

The gentle lapping of the waves; the distant splashing of the giant squid; the soft brush of the wind through the high grass.

No camera bulb flashing; no repetitive questions; no poking and prodding from friends and professors, worrying about him and checking to make sure he is okay. No crumbling of walls around him; no wails of sorrow from parents and friends at the loss of loved ones. He could just breathe, let himself  _feel_ , let himself come to terms with what he had just been through. 

Harry had  _died._ Again. He let out a humorless laugh at the chances. How many people can say they died twice? 

At the same time, Harry was alive. Did he deserve to be? Most likely not. Why did he get to live when Fred couldn't? When Lupin and Tonks couldn't? 

He looked down at the water as he swung his feet across the darkness. It was nice to be in water again. Cleansing spells only did so much. Nothing compared to a nice, long, hot shower. If he didn't know exactly what was in the Black Lake, he would have jumped in an hour ago. However, he didn't know if he felt like dealing with the grindylows or, if they got him, fighting back. With a sigh, he flopped back onto the pier with his arms outstretched. His shoes and socks were lying beside him, forgotten for the moment. Every muscle ached and screamed in protest. They longed for a sleep in an actual bed but here he was, face-up on wood with the sun beating down. 

He could feel the footsteps before he could hear them. Someone was walking down the pier towards him and, to be quite honest, he couldn't bring himself to care. Draco's wand was lying next to his shoes, just out of reach. It wasn't until the feet stopped above his head that he opened his eyes. The sun made it hard to see but there was no denying the long red hair. Hermione walked around his side and plopped down next to him. When he sat back up, she was taking off her socks to dip her feet into the water as well. Once he was upright, she slung her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her. She smelled like honey and flowers, which was probably much better than how he himself smelled. Dying did that to you, he supposed. Her fingers ran through his hair, making the already peaceful environment more so. She always knew how to make him feel better when he was down. His eyes slipped closed, and he allowed himself to soak in the one moment of calm he has had in years. 

They stayed like that for a while. If Hermione hadn't spoken up, Harry was quite sure he would have fallen asleep. 

"It's nice not having to worry about dying for once," she said, her voice soft. "Being able to appreciate the little things like this."

He hummed in acknowledgement. She was right, like always. 

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay, because I know you're not. But what I want to know is what I can do to help you." She gently pulled him away from her so she could look in his eyes. "What Ron and I can do for you. We are here for you. No matter what. Even when you have one of your not-so-brilliant plans."

That made him smile. "I won't be having any of those for a while. I think I am done with adventure."

She smiled back. "Me too."

They sat there for perhaps another hour before she convinced him to get up and go back to the castle. He didn't like seeing the ruin and the rubble, but he knew he would have to come back up eventually. They dried off their feet and went back up the long train of steps. Even from the bottom, he could hear the reparations going on, feel the magic working to fix what magic had undone. When they reached the top, Professor McGonagall was waiting there with her hands clasped in front of herself with a smile on her face. A small one, but a smile nonetheless. 

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but may I speak to Mister Potter for a moment?" asked Professor McGonagall, turning to Hermione.

"Of course, Professor." Hermione turned to Harry and gave his arm a comforting squeeze. "I'll go find Ron. Send a Patronus if you need me."

He muttered his thanks then followed the professor into a stroll towards the bridge. Harry threw the Elder wand, snapped in half so no one else would die for it, right there not a few hours ago. He didn't regret what he did. If there was one good thing he did throughout this whole mess - besides stop a racist murderer - it was getting rid of that wand. A part of him wished he had kept it to replace his broken one. He couldn't keep Draco's wand forever. Giving it back was on his very long list of things to do. His head hurt from thinking about it all. 

"Once everything has settled down, we shall get you in to see Madam Pomphrey," Professor McGonagall said to break the silence as she looked over the grounds. There were scorch marks everywhere, pieces of stone and people walking around, looking for anyone who needed help. After a moment, she turned to him and had a somber look on her face. "You have been through a great deal in such a short amount of time."

"At least it's over now," he replied, feeling as though the words weren't entirely true. As he looked over the bridge, he felt like something else was coming, despite everything he knew telling him otherwise. 

"I will be allowing those who participated in the war or were away throughout the school year to come back to make up that year. I thought to personally ask you if you would like to join in with the others." She placed her hands on his shoulders, making him look at her. "It is all right if you choose not to. There are some who have rejected the offer already. The Ministry allows you to take your Newts there if you so choose. And, if anyone has anything to say about your decision, they can speak to me."

"Who else is coming back?" 

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. "Now, Mister Potter, it has to be your decision and your decision alone. Don't let the decision of others influence yours. Decide what is best for you."

His body sagged with his exaggerated sigh, causing her to slightly chuckle. With a brief but tight hug, she told him that he didn't have to decide right then; he had time. "September first," she teased before walking back down towards the castle. Harry had always admired the professor. She held her head high with her shoulders back with the elegance and power of an amazing witch. She had always looked out for him, no matter what. She was one of the few exceptions that didn't treat him as "The Boy Who Lived" Harry Potter but just as Harry himself. He fidgeted with the wand in his hand and looked at the dark wood. He wanted things to get back to normal. And the first step to doing that was to be a normal student and go to school. 

He gave the view one last glance before turning to walk back towards the castle, being forced to come to a stop. In front of him stood Draco Malfoy. He almost looked like he didn't belong. The ruin clashed with the elegance that Malfoy exuded. He clearly had time to do a cleansing charm before getting there as his clothes were clean and his hair was neat, an exact opposite of what he looked like when Harry had pulled him from the Fiendfyre and escaped with his parents before the full action started. There was a scrape on his cheek below his eye. 

They stood in front of one another without saying a word. Malfoy looked like he was working up to say something but was unable to get it out. Harry, remembering he had said boy's wand, held it out. There was what seemed like shock in those grey eyes. Like he had forgotten they had taken his wand from the Manor. With a shaky hand, he took it back and held it in front of him. Harry could see him try and be mad that he had it. 

"Why are you giving this back to me?" Malfoy asked, his voice quiet but steady. 

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It's yours, isn't it? It should be with you."

"It won't respond to me anymore after what I've done."

"What makes you say that? It's still your wand." 

Malfoy darkly laughed, his features sad. "Don't you get it? My wand uses unicorn hair. That is one of the hardest materials to turn to the Dark Arts and I had to-" His voice caught in his throat, his eyes turning watery. "I had to make it do things that it should have never been able to do. You don't know what I've had to do, Potter."

"No, I don't," he replied, taking a step closer to Malfoy. "I don't know, but that doesn't mean I'm an idiot." He put his hand on the other's shoulder. Malfoy tried to pull away for a moment but didn't go too far. "Despite some of the shit you did in the past, you're not a bad person. It was a result of what you were raised to be. It wasn't your fault."

"What the fuck do you know about how I was raised? You didn't even have parents."

Harry had to bite his tongue. He knew that Malfoy was just vulnerable and using insults as a defense. It was different this time. It had to be. Harry just fucking  _died_. He was not going to act like he did before that. There was just no patience for arguing anymore. Briefly shutting his eyes, he let out a deep sigh and dragged his hands down his face. 

"Now, I am going to let that one go because it has been a rough fucking year, yeah? I'm going to tell you something that I normally don't tell people, but the people I lived with were probably some of the worst people. Not because they were Muggles, but because, in their eyes, I was a freak. I lived in a cupboard until I was eleven. The only reason I was given a bedroom was because my uncle was terrified that my Hogwarts letter knew exactly where I was." Harry ruffled his hair, trying to give his hands something to do. "There were several days where I wasn't allowed to eat anything, couldn't leave the cupboard. I never got anything for myself, which must seem like a surprise to someone like you. 

"I grew up having nothing, so I personally don't appreciate you throwing the fact that my parents are dead in my face. If you want things to change and your wand to 'accept you' or whatever, you need to understand what hurts people and to watch what you say. Because I could say a lot about your family but I don't choose to."

"Why not? I clearly deserve it," Malfoy said, his head turned up high once again in the most fake way Harry has seen yet. "Why not just let it out?"

"I have been through so much fighting that I don't need more for the rest of my life."

Harry stepped around Malfoy and started his walk back to the castle. His feet faltered when Malfoy called back out to him.

"Potter!" he shouted. When he turned around, the blond hesitated then continued, "Why are you being nice to me?"

A beat. 

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

With a small smile, he turned back and headed to find Hermione and Ron to talk about getting things ready for the school year.

**Author's Note:**

> [Title song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5TqNsr6YuQ)


End file.
